OKMULGEE – On August 28, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation held a ribbon-cutting for the newly constructed MCN Citizens Services Building. The 167,000-square-foot, 4-story building will house 25 programs in one location, giving citizens easier access to Tribal services.
The building was designed to tell the Mvskoke story- bridging the past, present, and future of the Nation through the architecture, interior design, and landscape.
Attendees included the MCN Executive Branch and leadership, MCNNC Representatives, former Principal Chief Bill Fife, former Principal Chief George Tiger, former Principal Chief James Floyd, MCN Princesses, MCN Ambassador Jonodev Chaudhuri, President of the University of Tulsa Stacy Leeds, the Okmulgee Fire Department, many MCN employees, citizens, and community members.
During the ceremony, Pastor Paul Fixico gave the invocation, and MCN Second Chief Del Beaver, MCN Speaker Randall Hicks, and MCN Chief David Hill spoke.
Second Chief Beaver remarked that the day would mean something different to everybody. He said that everyone will walk away from today with either a feeling or a memory and that they will carry that moment for the rest of their life.
“We’re building upon the foundation that other administrations have built, and so it’s good to see Chief Fife, Chief Floyd, and Chief Tiger here, and that we can just build upon the foundation that ya’ll set before us,” Second Chief Beaver said. “This is really a testament to the Nation as a whole, and so as we move forward throughout this day, as we move forward as a Nation, this really is a metric; a starting point.”
Second Chief included that the Nation is not limited but is everywhere. “We are a growing Nation, we’re a big Nation, and we’re a strong Nation,” he said.
MCNNC Speaker Randall Hicks views the opening as a celebration of progress, prosperity, and the continued strength of the Mvskoke people. “When we look at a building like this, it can be easy to see only the stones, the walls, the offices, the services that will be provided here. But I believe we should see something much greater. We should see the works of generations. Our ancestors endured hardships that many of us can only imagine. The Mvskoke people face removal from our homelands, loss, uncertainty, and tremendous challenges as we work to preserve who we are as a people,” Speaker Hicks said.
“Yet through all of those struggles, we remained, we held onto our language, we held onto our culture, we held onto our families, our communities, and our identity. Most importantly, we never stopped believing in the future for the Mvskoke people.”
For Speaker Hicks, the building will be a place for citizens to come for services, assistance, answers, and support. He hopes that the future generations will see it as more than an administrative building.
“I hope they see it as a symbol of a Nation that refused to stand still. A Nation that chose to invest in its people, a Nation that understood that true prosperity is not simply measured by buildings, businesses, or financial success,” Speaker Hicks said. “True prosperity is measured by whether our citizens have opportunities, whether our families are strong, whether our communities are healthy, and whether our children have reason to believe that their future can be better than their past.”
MCN Principal Chief David Hill spoke about the large number of people who attended this historical event. “It’s a historical day for the Muscogee Creek Nation, welcome to a new day at the Muscogee Nation, welcome to the promise of progress and welcome to the future,” Principal Chief Hill said.
Principal Chief Hill emphasized that this building is a tribute to service, saying, “This grand structure will always remind us that our first priority is to be in the service to our citizens.”
Principal Chief Hill remembered the early days of the comprehensive plan and those who took part. He remembered the 1979 plan, in which MCN’s former Principal Chief Fife and Ed Mouss envisioned growing the Nation, including the college.
“I think of the Indian Action Plan team who saw the bare fields of the grass, dirt, and envisioned that it could be the Solomon McCombs Building, that it could be the site of a Tribal Department of Education, or that it could someday be a Mound Building Auditorium for the legislature meeting. Some of you may remember those days, and some of those early trips to the complex,” MCN Chief Hill said.
“I look out today, and I see young people, and I ask that you take this moment in and remember that we are here, that we were here, and how truly historic this occasion is.”
The Mvskoke story
For Principal Chief Hill, the building is also a storyteller sharing the Mvskoke story through art, history, culture, and land. He remarked that the outside area will include saplings from the Council Oak Tree in Tulsa. “That signifies our new home at the far end of the Trail of Tears,” Chief Hill said.
The saplings have been cared for and provided by the College of the Muscogee Nation. “I’m so glad to have these examples of our history on display for future generations,” he said.
Throughout the building, contemporary Mvskoke art hangs on the walls, and the building itself incorporates the Mvskoke story through its design, decoration, and details. Cultural symbols are found throughout the lobby, including iconography related to the Nation’s clans. The sculptural central lighting represents the sacred fire.
According to MCN, “Ancient mound geometry provides a central inspiration for the exterior architecture, reflecting the Mvskoke people’s connection to nature and their history as descendants of ancient mound-building civilizations.”
Water is also an essential design feature of the building. “These waterways will be through the building floor patterns, colors, feature walls, and other design elements. A custom terrazzo floor evokes water in motion, while features on each floor reference bodies of water associated with the Nation’s history,” stated MCN.
They are looking forward to continued growth that supports the long-term vision for a connected, accession and functional facility that will serve the MCN for generations to come.
Services in the new will building include:
Center for Victim Services
Citizenship
Reality
CR&D
Langauge
Elder Services
Adult Protective Services
Tribal Juvenile Justice
Youth Services
TANF
Social Services
Social Security
Finance
OMB
Procurement
Election Office
Marketing & Tourism
Grants & Planning
CESO
Executive Offices
Tribal Administration
Tribal Liaison Beyond the Reservation
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of the Nation
Public Relations
Department of Public Safety
